The
more modified vehicles in our group had been yearning all day for
a little something more. There was a thirst that many of the more
experienced drivers needed to be quenched. One of our trails had two
options: The Rock Swamp, and the bypass. The group split into two
lines. The first line, to be led by Lynn, bypassed the perils of the
Rock Swamp. The second line, led by John, eagerly drove into the slop.

John
creeped through with no problems. He really knows how to handle that
long-bed Commanche. On a wet day, most of the rocks seen in this picture
are submerged in the muck. Crawling over visible rocks is one thing,
but wading through a swamp full of invisible rocks is a whole different
ballgame! It takes some diligent spotting to get a vehicle through
the Rock Swamp without error.

The
driver has to pay complete attention to his spotter here more than
ever. The driver also has to exhibit excellent control over his vehicle.
The lower the gear ratio the vehicle is equipped with, the easier
this obstacle is. If something goes wrong, and the vehicle slips off
of the rocks, then it could be stuck-time! The two Jeep ZJ's that
attempted the Rock Swamp passed with flying colors.

Fortunately,
there are no steep climbs or descents amidst the Rock Swamp. The swamp
is challenging enough without them! Its literally a submerged mine-field.
Just because the driver and the spotter picked a solid line doesn't
necessarily mean the vehicle is going to stick to it. Those rocks
can get pretty slippery.

All
modified vehicles traversed the Rock Swamp on this day, but it is
a trail of medium difficulty. With very careful attention, one could
get a bone-stock rig through here unscathed, but it would be time-consuming
and tedious. My recommendation to all new four-wheelers out there
is to learn your vehicle in its stock form. You may be surprised as
to how little you need to spend to make it capable of conquering "the-next-big-obstacle".